I’m sure you’re very familiar with the great feeling we all get when Google provides the answer to our query at the very top. There is no need to click on various links, or excessively scroll through the results to find a small piece of information. This magic is now provided by the Google Answer Box or Featured Snippet, which is powered by the Knowledge Graph.
In fact, according to a study, around 41% of question-based queries have featured snippets.
But what exactly is Google answer box?
According to Google, “Featured snippets are special boxes where the format of regular listings is reversed, showing the descriptive snippet first.”
In short, you can say that the answer box is a blessing for both users and business owners. The former get the answer to their query, while webmasters have a chance of getting their website featured at the forefront of the Search Engine Response Pages (SERPs) – even above top ranking websites.
Additionally, there are predictions of screen-less, voice integrated searches taking over by 2020. With voice search, only Google answer box results are read out, thereby increasing the reach of your content.
Here’s everything you need to know about Google’s answer box, and how to get featured in it.
Understanding The Google Answer Box
Despite the fear of a decrease in the number of site visitors, the answer box was seen to achieve a whopping 32.3% increased click-through rate (CTR).
Before we dive into the strategies to get that highlighted position, we need to first understand Google answer box itself.
Featured snippets, or the answer box is a unique SERP result that is displayed right below the ads, and aims to instantly answer your query. The box itself contains the answer in a brief text form, alongside the source site’s URL.
Although, the answer box usually provides results in a text or paragraph form (around 82% of the time), a table or bulleted list may be given for certain searches, e.g., ‘the steps to make bread.’ The website through which these results are displayed is given a ‘rank zero’ by Google.
Source: Google
How Does Rank Zero Affect Rank One?
In terms of search engine results, rank one just isn’t the most successful spot anymore. Ever since the introduction of the Google answer box, rank one has seen a decrease of 7% in CTR.
Despite maintaining its title, a rank one website no longer gets the same clicks ever since the introduction of the Answer Box.
Achieving That Ideal Rank Zero Position
Now that we’ve seen the benefits of getting featured on Google answer box, let’s discover ways to achieve rank zero for your site.
The easiest tactic for low ranking websites to employ is to change their meta titles and descriptions, and Search Engine-optimize them. In other words, having a ‘hook’ in your metas can help draw in users.
Some other strategies to apply include:
Recognizing The Relevant Triggers
While it may seem like something very complicated and tech-based, achieving that rank zero spot is actually rather simple. The best way of getting there is knowing the right keywords to use in your website content.
It has been observed that the answer box is commonly prompted by the use of long-tail keywords. The lengthier the search query, the more likely it is to result in an answer box.
So, instead of using short keywords, use phrases containing 3-6 words. For example, instead of writing ‘blog posts,’ use ‘starting your own blog’ or ‘how blogs work.’ Determine how people are terming their queries, and base your keywords in accordance with that.
Also, look through the ‘related searches’ and ‘people also ask’ sections of the SERPs to get an idea of the keywords to use. This shows Google that your site has an answer to the actual query.
Using A Question And Answer Format
Since questions typically feature results in the answer box, it makes sense to design your content in a similar format.
If some of your content clearly presents a question, and then its subsequent answer, you can significantly raise your chances of getting to rank zero.
It may feel rather peculiar, but try placing these answers within the very first sentence of your content. This will boost the chances of having that sentence featured in the relevant Answer Box.
Remember to keep your answers brief and to the point so they match the layout of the Google Answer Box.
Maintaining SEO Practices
When optimizing your website for rank zero, don’t forget to continue your usual SEO efforts and other important ranking factors.
Develop all your answer box potential content with SEO strategies in mind. Remember to include trending keywords in your titles, content, and descriptions, using appropriate categories, tags, and internal linking.
Analyze The Competition
Go through industry-related queries that are featured in the answer box, and determine whether your competitors are doing a good job. If they aren’t, this would be the ideal place to start in order to feature on the top.
The process is quite simple:
- Search for long-tail keyword-based questions and make a list
- Filter out all the answer box results
- Develop answers that are more accurate, and better formatted
- Keep your paragraphs around 40-60 words
Pro tip: Look through the ‘people also ask’ boxes for more ideas on search queries that are featured in the answer box.
While its best practice to keep your paragraphs short and succinct, you should use longer lists or tables where possible. This forces Google to truncate the results, thus giving users a reason to click through to your site.
Source: Google
Overall, achieving rank zero is not as difficult as it sounds. These pointers should be able to get you there in no time. Remember, achieving rank zero can further increase your website traffic and conversion rates, so it is definitely worth the effort.
Still not sure how to feature in the Google answer box? Book a free consultation with our SEO experts at Noah Digital!
